Joe Biden Signs Executive Orders To Reunite Families Separated At US-Mexico Border

Joe Biden has signed three new executive orders that will review Donald Trump's immigration policies.

A task force will be set up to reunite as many as 700 children who were separated from their families after crossing the US-Mexico border.

During 2017 and 2018 alone under the Trump Administration, there were at least 5,500 undocumented children that were taken away from adults.

The newly confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has been tapped to spearhead the new taskforce and ensure these kids get back to their families and loved ones.

Mr Biden said from the White House: "We're going to work to undo the moral and national shame of the previous administration that literally not figuratively ripped children from the arms of their families, their mothers and fathers, at the border and with no plan, none whatsoever, to reunify the children who are still in custody and their parents."

According to NBC, the second executive action will evaluate legal immigration programs, one of which was terminated under Trump in 2017 that allowed some children to come to the US if they were reuniting with family.

That order will also hopefully address the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have also been trapped at the US-Mexico border while they wait for their cases to be processed by US officials.

The third action will get the State Department, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security to look at Trump-era policies and see if they fit under the new provision of 'integration and inclusion'.

Joe Biden has set a record in signing executive orders since assuming the White House on January 20, agreeing to more than 20 actions in his first few days in office.

While the new President is keen on reversing some of Trump's immigration policies, he has been cautious on overhauling the whole system altogether in order to prevent a surge in illegal immigration to the US.

Until that happens, he's under pressure from campaigners to make the borders more relaxed.

Alejandra Gomez, the co-executive director of grassroots organisation Living United for Change, said: "The expectation is that this administration take bold, decisive action by swiftly reversing policies.

"It's a good first step. But while review of Trump's immigration policies is important, we need action. That's why those of us who can vote elected him."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: joe biden, News, US News, Immigration, Politics

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie